Erik Spoelstra Doesn’t Hold Back Words After Miami Heat Lose Eighth Straight

Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra last endured a stretch like this in 2008.

So the feeling is basically new. On Monday, the Heat were blown out by the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. It was their eighth straight loss.

“I’m not going to go on a rant,” Spoelstra said. “I have not come up with enough answers for this team. I have to do a better job. Our team has to do a better job.”

Spoelstra was an assistant to Pat Riley during that 2008 season when the Heat finished 15-67. The team was full of G League and development players. It was also Riley’s last season before handing the keys to Spoelstra.

This losing streak is more disappointing because the Heat are a team that has made the playoffs the last five years, including the 2023 NBA Finals. No one could have expected a collapse like this.

With 14 games left, they sit at No. 10 in the Eastern Conference standings. Although the chances of missing the Play-In Tournament are slim, this is a season of disappointment.

“This has been one of the biggest challenges of a regular season that I’ve been a part of,” Spoelstra said. “And we just have to stay the course. This is the NBA. We’ll have another game on Wednesday night. We have to collectively get our mind right where all these losses don’t have to impact the next game. That is the mental discipline. That is a tough human condition to fight. It’s human nature to stack up some of these memories and let that affect us for the next game.”

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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